Schumer Asks Gillibrand’s Supporters to Give Her Cash

ALBANY—A reader forwarded this email from Senator Chuck Schumer, who has written an appeal to Kirsten Gillibrand’s donor list.

“I’ve been involved in politics for a long time now, and I’ve learned to recognize when someone has what it takes to make a real difference,” writes Schumer. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Kirsten Gillibrand has what it takes.”

Polls released this week show Gillibrand’s recognition among New Yorkers remains low, almost a year after her appointment to the seat by David Paterson. As such, she is not running strong against potential primary challengers like Bill Thompson or Republicans like Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki in hypothetical match-ups.

The answer, from the perspective of Gillibrand’s supporters, is simple: she hasn’t done any television advertising, as opposed to Thompson, who just spent millions on a (failed) mayoral campaign. Gillibrand is known as a persistent fund-raiser.

New Yorkers have high expectations. They want their elected leaders to have the integrity and sense of justice to know what’s right, along with the strength and courage to get things done. We’re fortunate to have all those qualities in Kirsten Gillibrand. Kirsten has taken the lead in the Senate on issues New Yorkers care about – from providing health care coverage to all Americans to protecting our children from gun violence. She’s working hard to find ways to create more jobs in this struggling economy, and she’s been at the forefront of putting a stop to the Stupak Amendment.

We need to keep Kirsten’s strong, progressive voice in the U.S. Senate, but we need your help to do it. Kirsten’s campaign must raise $100,000 by midnight December 31 to reach a crucial end of quarter goal. By supporting Kirsten today, you’ll make sure New York has a powerful advocate in the Senate for years to come.

The Republicans have already made it clear that Kirsten’s Senate seat is a major target for the 2010 elections. They’re pulling out all the stops – trying to find a high-profile candidate who they think can beat her and putting together their usual strategy of lies and distortions.

They’re going to come at us with everything they’ve got, so we need to go after them with everything we’ve got. We must build up our resources now so we’re ready to respond to the GOP attack machine when it starts up in full force.

Let’s tell the Republicans that Kirsten is no easy target. By contributing today, you’ll show them that Kirsten has the strong grassroots support she needs to beat back their challenge and maintain the Democratic majority in the Senate.

I’ve been involved in politics for a long time now, and I’ve learned to recognize when someone has what it takes to make a real difference. There’s no doubt in my mind that Kirsten Gillibrand has what it takes.